/gsg/ - Grand Strategy General

Since it has been about 8 months since the last post in this thread, what are your favorite factions in this game. Currently, mine is Lemuria because zerg rushing with freespawn is fun, even if it becomes ineffective in multiplayer due to banishment spam.

>>1208

>Distant Worlds

Really good game.

I have Dom 3 downloaded, and maybe 4, but never got around to playing them. I always have trouble starting these games as I know so little I get destroyed and that is no fun.

>>4335

keep at it dude it's a real fun game

Dominions 4 is rad as fuck yo, I've been getting into it more lately and it's just great.

Is Dom4 really as complex as some say?

I'm interested, and will probably buy it next time its price drops, but I've been watching LPs and it does not seem as complex as it looks like.

I know there are lots of spells and shit, however some seem to be obviously better across the board, or better for some factions. There are lots of units, but again, some seem flat out better in every respect. Combat looks simpler than I thought it would be too. Either I'm watching people who do not have a clue about the game or the game is simpler than it looks like. Anyone in particular I should watch?

Also, are there mods for the UI? I was thinking that a mod that changes the map according to your dominion would be really cool.

>>4835

Also, I don't play these games in multi, as I have nobody to play with. How's it in single?

>>4835

>Is Dom4 really as complex as some say?

Yes, there is a ridiculous amount of depth to it. SP doesn't really do it justice because you'll never fight opponents who actually use magic.

>are there mods for the UI?

Yes, but not ones which change the map because the maps are just .tga files.

>>4849

Shame. There are AI mods I believe though right?

Could you explain a bit where exactly the depth comes from? I don't doubt there is, I just don't really see it. It might be one of those games that are as deep as you want them to be, I don't know. I just bought it and haven't played yet.

I know there are a lot of spells, but is this a case of all spells being pretty good in certain situations or with certain civs/races/whatever they are called or are some clearly better than others and thus the same ones are used all the time? Are there civ-specific spells?

About the units, there doesn't seem to be that much unit variety at first glance and they do not seem very different from one another, I've watched a few LPs where sometimes just one or two units were spammed (might be that they just sucked too). Do the units of each race (and in one race) differ significantly?

How flexible are the civs? It seems that your choice determines a lot of your strategy, although the god you make seems to be more important. What's a good one (race and god theme) to start with, if any?

Sorry for all the questions. Any good websites I could consult, along with the manual to learn more about the game?

The Paradox games don't really cut it anymore for me. EUIV has become a boring mess with 150 DLCs and a retarded and arbitrary ruleset, though CKII is more fun but I've been playing that for years now and I'm beginning to run out of steam. Vicky2 is still pretty good but same problem. I also play Distant Worlds but I don't always want to play sci-fi. I heard that in some respects Doms4 is a better and deeper game than pdox's offerings, so here I am.

>>4863

not the same guy

The preferred term is "nation" btw.

Barely any spells are available on the start of the game, they are limited by research in the several schools of magic. Spells higher on the research track are often just better, but can be harder,more exhausting to cast to cast or require gems. Dealing more damage means nothing if your battlefield mages can't cast them. That's why spells like fireball and lightning strike are common, because they don't require that much research and have low path requirements that recruitable mages will be able to cast them without boosters or communions. Also spells get get stronger when caster has higher paths than required so it sometimes it's worth to cast a spell with lower requirements that has some sort of advantage that the later one does not.

There are national spells, yes. Some are available to multiple nations, some to only one.

About the units, yeah it's usually 4 of the same guys in differing levels of armour for humanoid troops but that gives you an option to balance gold and resources.

Spam usually comes in because of the sacred units. Units that are sacred cost only half in maintenance and can be blessed by priests in battle. This gives them bonuses depending on your pretenders magic, so it's an important consideration when designing one and a popular strategy.

Your strategy is shaped by units, mages and national spells. I think that usually more that one approach is viable but that is decided by pretender design.

Desura forums are still active and there is a good amount of learning resources and guides there.

Manual is available straight from the developer and it explains how most of the mechanics work.